Cleric cautions Okorocha against reckless spending of public funds 

The Anglican Bishop of Egbu Diocese, Geoffrey Enyinnaya Okorafor, has called on the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, to prioritize public spending.

He insisted that the governor must pay retirees their pensions as first charge, before demolishing structures and expanding city roads in the state to save the senior citizens from untimely deaths.

He also called on the restructuring of Nigeria based on the 2014 constitutional conference recommendations.

In his 120- page speech with the theme, ‘The Fourth Man in the Furnace” tagged “Presidential Address/ Charge’ at the just-concluded third Session of the Seventh Synod, held at the recently at St. Mark’s Anglican Church, Eziobodo, Owerri West Local Council, Imo State, the cleric was irked that the pensioners in the state were suffering untold hardship while funds meant for them were expended on unnecessary and sub-standard work.

At the ceremony witnessed by the Publisher of the Source Magazine/ member of the Police Service Commission, Dame Comfort Obi, other seven Bishops among others, the vocal cleric said: “We call on the government of Imo State under Owelle Rochas Okorocha to consider a scale of preference and prioritize areas of spending. One strongly believes and true as it is that the amount spent on the demolition of structures within the state capital if channelled towards payment of allowances to pensioners would have given more accolades and encomiums on the government.

No matter explanations that may be given for the demolition, finding a solution to the plight of these pensioners would have been better priority area. We still call on the government to consider without further delay the need to pay to a reasonable extent the allowances of these senior citizens. We believe that the governor is a human being and should have a human face towards his suffering subjects. Their plight has become very pathetic and should be addressed and full payment ensured”.

Okorafor urged the governor to equip the existing hospitals rather than build more and discard the sub-standard roads constructed.